Dear Friends,
With the pandemic, climate change, and social and justice inequity all posing global threats, it’s no wonder that the demand for mental health specialists has never been higher. Many of you already know firsthand the finding of the APA 2021 practitioner survey that the mental health crisis across the population is putting immense strains on the psychologist workforce.
Anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and trauma and stress-related disorders have all increased by at least 15-20% in just one year.
A decade ago, James Hillman wrote We’ve Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy—and the World’s Getting Worse. Now seems to be the moment where therapy is finally addressing what Mr. Hillman refers to as the “deteriorating environment.” This is a time when there is a rising realization that the outward societal conditions (social, economic, and physical) cannot be separated from a person’s interior spiritual and emotional qualities.
This year, we asked the Academy of Therapy Wisdom community to offer submissions in response to the prompt:
What do you believe is the frontier for psychotherapy in social change and/or spirituality and why?
Reading the below essays, one thing seems clear: the hopeful future of the field of psychotherapy will not be written in universities; rather it will be unfolded by you and your peers in your offices and associations around the world.
The world requires the change you are creating.
Thank you for your efforts, and please take care of yourself.
Sincerely,
Brian Spielmann & Ian McPherson
